第一小隊 新竹實驗中學 江芳儒
Considering how admission is based off of academic merit and extra curriculars, one walks into the camp expecting to be enlightened in some sort of way. Such was, in fact, true. Throughout the 6 day long camp, all the students and advisors listened attentively to speeches given by those at the frontier of science. We were introduced to groundbreaking techniques like cell reengineering, cell regeneration, and targeted gene therapy, slowly understanding the advancements Taiwan has made throughout the past few decades.
I found that I took away the most from the 大手攜小手 session. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the biomed based talk by Professor 陳盈潔, in which we were briefed on burns and introduced to modern skin grafting techniques and organ regeneration. The fact that it was based in a small group setting helped, as we were able to engage with the professor more and ask more questions, but it was the fact that we could choose whom to listen to based off of our interests that made it the most enjoyable lecture. Rather than being forced to listen to topics we may not have been interested in, we were given 6 options. I was glad to have received my first priority, but I would have loved to be able to listen to not only one session, but maybe one or two others as well.
The 仲夏夜談, led by 蔡易州主任,王復興總監, and 吳學亮教授, was a close second. Their discussion was not only interesting, but also useful in the sense that we received advice from those had tread the path we find ourselves on. 吳教授’s story and the path he took is likely to reflect on the majority of academically focused Taiwanese high schoolers, and thus ought to be largely helpful to those in the audience. While 蔡主任 mainly facilitated the exchange, his answers to the questions posed by the audience had depth and definitely enticed others to reconsider their life decisions. Through the life experiences of 王總監, it became apparent that it is never too late nor impossible to improve oneself. Having been three years behind in college and gone on the unconventional career route for his major, 王總監 talked to all of us about his road to self acceptance and the jumpstart of his career, all of which was quite eye-opening.
The thing that surprised me the most, however, was the bond we built with other members of our group. Having started out as strangers, I don’t think anyone expected us to experienced such camaraderie, not even ourselves. We sat through lecture after lecture together and roomed with each other, discussing the final project night after night in our respective chambers. Although we had shortcomings, we rehearsed as much as we could, building off of each others’ ideas. We shared snacks, complaints, and stories, with even the most anti-social one of us cracking smiles and voicing his/her own opinions. Even the student advisors jumped in and helped out a lot with our skit, and we all had so much fun drafting the script and practicing. We leaned on each other during the lab, with my partner helping me understand the first experiment by translating and explaining the Chinese scientific terms. As someone who takes all regular and AP STEM courses in English, I was super grateful that my team was willing to help me out. I was able to help the others the next day, as we sat in the hall of Aspire Resort and worked on the Ferrous Sandwich. While both labs were quite basic, it was nice to work as a team with others.
In general, the camp was quite rewarding in the sense that I was able to meet and bond with a lot of like-minded high school students and learn from some of the greatest figures in the scientific field in Taiwan, including Nobel Prize Winner 李遠哲 . The week was well spent and I would definitely recommend the experience to others, including the underclassmen of IBSH.
